The Cape Town First XI’s 2022/23 season worryingly continued on its seemingly unstoppable way to emulating their previous season, when they had begun with nine consecutive defeats, as they now slid to their fourth defeat in four games – this time to Premier League newcomers Kraaifontein in the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
With both teams effectively already out of the running for the semi-finals after losing their opening two matches, there was little but pride to play for in the match. Electing to bat first at the neutral venue of the Doc Basson Oval in Durbanville, Cape Town promptly lost two wickets in the first over of the match – only to counter-attack with an all-out death or glory assault on their opponent’s gentle-paced attack. The net result was one of the Kraaifontein opening bowlers conceding 34 from his two overs, while at the other end Ismael September nabbed his third wicket in 14 deliveries as the game got off to a breathless start at 27-3 from just three overs.
Once Nathan Schultz and Fletcha Middleton came together, however, that onslaught on anything bowled at them reaped a bountiful harvest for a while – by the halfway mark of the innings they had bludgeoned Cape Town to 95, having posted their 50 partnership together from just 30 balls. Middleton duly stormed to his maiden fifty for the First XI from just 23 balls faced shortly thereafter, having struck five sixes en route, but then he nicked off to off-spinner Arno Pekeur and Cape Town’s approach started to go south.
Pekeur would strike again in his next over too as the shots kept coming, and by the end of the 13th over Cape Town were already six down – albeit having maintained a very healthy run rate of more than eight to the over in exchange. With Kraaifontein resorting to part-time bowlers to complete the innings, the opportunity was there for Cape Town to cash in for a big finish – but instead they contrived to find the fielder in the deep with unerring accuracy. Chief amongst those fielders was September once more, who at long off claimed the last three wickets to fall through two catches and a run out, the latter ending a promising knock from Craig Jeffrey. Ashley Cupido’s off-breaks were the main beneficiary of his efforts, allowing him to bag three quick scalps as Cape Town were bowled out with eight balls left unused.
Still, a target of 155 to defend offered a decent expectation of success, even against a largely unknown Kraaifontein batting line-up. It soon became apparent that Cape Town would have their hands full though, with twelve runs coming off the first over as opening bat Rodney Mafudza quickly got into his stride. The Plumstead-based outfit nevertheless rallied somewhat to restrict their opponents to 36 from the six-over opening PowerPlay, but being unable to claim a wicket meant that the run rate inevitably began to climb again. The fifty partnership for the first wicket was duly posted in the eighth over, and though the eventual breakthrough ultimately brought two further wickets in relatively quick succession, Kraaifontein were nevertheless succeeding in landing their fair share of blows in reply at one end while Mafudza worryingly continued growing increasingly in stature at the other.
Still, the northerns suburbs outfit were left needing 64 from the final six overs, such that Cape Town seemingly had matters in hand. That increased further to 49 required from the last four, despite a couple of boundaries from skipper Darryl Losper, and things were looking good for Cape Town’s first win of the new season. However, once Mafudza had reached a 43-ball fifty, he then pierced the field with some clinical blows – while Losper opened his shoulders to launch three sixes of his own within the space of four balls faced. The next three overs consequently travelled for 46 runs, putting the match to bed with just three remaining runs wanted from the final over. Kraaifontein needed just one ball from that to complete the job, Mafudza finishing with an unbeaten 75 from just 52 balls, while Losper needed just 18 balls for his 34 – the pair having added an unbroken 69 in 38 balls for the fourth wicket to snatch the honours from under Cape Town’s nose.
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